


The Journey Home

by MsMKT86



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M, First Time Writing Bamon, One Shot, Revelations, Romance, Supernatural Elements, Two Years Later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-03
Updated: 2014-08-03
Packaged: 2018-02-11 12:50:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2068896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsMKT86/pseuds/MsMKT86
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bonnie and Damon disappear, hand in hand into the bright light but they soon find out that the white light isn't what they thought. With the help, from a few "familiar" faces, Damon and Bonnie have to look inside themselves and discover the journey home. -One-Shot-</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Journey Home

**Author's Note:**

> **A/N: Hey Bamily! So, this is my very first Bamon fic. I've written fics where they have been a couple but not an entire story based on them. So, go easy on me. I started writing this fic, a few days after 5x22 and it's taken me this long to get it together and perfect. I hope that you guys enjoy it. Let me know what you think.**
> 
> **Happy Reading!**
> 
> **And as always, COMMENTS = LOVE!**
> 
> **ProTIP: The bulk of the italicized words are "the looking glass". Or inner thoughts. (It'll make sense when you get there.)**
> 
> **_DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own: The Vampire Diaries, any characters, places, phrases from it or anything outside of fandom because if I did, Bamon would be on like popcorn, Stelena would be sailing, Caroline would be the Queen of New Orleans, Jeremy would be alone until he got his shit together and grew up a little, Tyler would find some actual happiness that didn't have anything to do with a girl and Matt would get all the happiness that a high caliber dude like him deserves._ **

* * *

Bonnie stood staring into the white oblivion. Her fingers intertwined tightly with Damon's.

"Do you think it'll hurt?" she asked calmly, her green eyes locked on the storm in front of her.

"I don't kn-" Damon began but all sound was washed away as the white light consumed them. Bonnie could still feel Damon' palm pressed flush with hers. She felt happy, calm, zen, fulfilled...at peace. Her mind wandered briefly to Damon. She wondered what he felt as the pure whiteness washed over them.

Damon kept his hand woven into Bonnie's as he deciphered his feelings. Before the blinding light overtook him he had felt calm, serene; but now as he stood in the eye of the white storm, he felt something he hadn't felt in 173 years. Happy. Elena was, or he thought she was, making him happy in a true sense but now in this bright, warmth, holding Bonnie's hand, he discovered he had been wrong.

He blinked his eyes slowly. The light was bright but he didn't have to look away, but he felt tired now. Damon squeezed the hand in his and when it applied pressure back, he closed his eyes and allowed the white light to take him completely.

When Bonnie Bennett opened her eyes, she lay hand in hand, side by side in a familiar place with a not so unfamiliar person. She turned her head and looked at them to see if they were awake too but she couldn't tell from where she lie. Bonnie leaned up and was met with a pair of pale blue eyes.

"Bonnie?" Damon Salvatore whispered, his hand still tightly entangled in her. She nodded. "Where are we?"

"I don't know," she said. "It looks like..."

"My room," he finished. They stared at each other wide-eyed. How were they in the Salvatore boarding house; when what seemed like seconds ago, they were being bathed in a bright, warm, white light? "We should look around," he said sitting up. He pulled her with him as he moved across the room. Damon glanced over his shoulder at her. Bonnie nodded and he wrenched the door open. They both let out a sigh of relief when the hallway of the boarding house came into view. They eased into the hallway and made their way down the stairs.

"Damon, do you hear that?" she whispered. He nodded as they moved hand in hand toward what sounded like laughter coming from the study. Damon peeked around the corner before jumping back. "What?"

"What the hell is going on?" he asked, a confused look on his face.

"What's in there?"

"Stefan and Elena."

"What?" a shocked Bonnie questioned. She peeked around him and spotted her best friend and his brother laughing.

"Come on," he said pulling her around the corner.

"Hey brother," Stefan smiled.

"Bonnie!" Elena beamed as she ran over and enclosed her in a tight hug. Aghast, Bonnie wrapped her free arm around her.

"You guys finally up and ready?" Stefan asked draining the glass he was holding.

"For what?" Damon asked quirking an eyebrow. Stefan and Elena looked at each other.

"The rehearsal dinner," Elena said. "Caroline's been calling for hours and we've been stalling."

"Who's getting married?" Bonnie asked. Damon squeezed her. She knew that he was scared that they had been tricked and they had gone to Hell and now Stefan and Elena were getting married. Elena turned to Stefan, who shrugged.

"Bon, are you ok?" she asked putting her wrist on her best friend's forehead.

"I'm fine. Why?"

"Because," Stefan said joining them by the steps. "it's odd that the future Mrs. Salvatore would forget her own rehearsal dinner."

"What?" Bonnie and Damon said simultaneously.

"Bonnie Bennett!" Caroline yelled as the front door of the boarding house slammed shut. "Oh my God! I've been calling Elena all day. Look, I only said it was ok that she got to be maid of honor because you said I could plan; but if she can't get you and your John Varvatos wearing fiance to the Grill on time, I can do both jobs."

"Gee, thanks Care," Elena chuckled rolling her eyes.

"No offense," she said brushing her blonde hair out of her face. "Why are you just standing there?" she said wide-eyed. "Go!"

Damon and Bonnie walked silently outside. Caroline handed him his keys and shoved them inside. It was the first time their hands had been parted and Bonnie felt a little exposed and naked with his hand gong. Damon turned the key and the car rumbled to life. As they followed their friends to the Mystic Grill, they were silent.

"What is going on?" he finally spoke aloud.

"Maybe we did got to Hell," she muttered. He laughed.

"Maybe," Damon sighed. "Bonnie..."

"I know. I just want to figure out what's going on too," she said avoiding his gaze. He sighed again. That wasn't at all what he was going to say but that didn't matter. At least not to Bonnie.

She glanced at him and was confused by the hard look on his face. He looked at her but she wasn't fast enough to aver her eyes.

"What?" he asked.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Damon, if we're going to be the only two sane people in this...whacked out Mystic Falls, then we need to talk to each other," Bonnie said as they sailed down main street.

"Fine," he said through gritted teeth. "Bonnie, I was going to say before you interrupted me, I'm not upset about this."

"You're not?" Bonnie asked suspiciously.

"No. While yes, I want to figure out what the hell is going on; the other stuff...I'm not upset about."

"You're ok with marrying me, Damon?" she asked quirking her eyebrow, a crooked smile stretching across her face. He was silent for a moment.

"I could be marrying Caroline," he said slyly as he got out of the car. Bonnie rolled her eyes and chuckled as Damon came around, opened her door and took her hand. As they approached the entrance, Bonnie looked down the sidewalk and saw her Grams dressed in all white, smiling at her. Damon blocked her view for a moment as he opened the door but when she could look down the sidewalk again, Grams was gone. "You ok?"

"Yeah. I thought I...I'm ok," she said shaking her head and entering the Grill. Bonnie gripped Damon's hand as the crowd cheered as they walked toward the bar. When they joined Ric, who was beaming at them, he clinked a butter knife against a glass.

"Thank you all for coming," Ric said loudly. "It's been a long time coming for us all to witness our friends Bonnie and Damon get married." They glanced at each other before looking at all the smiling faces in front of them. Bonnie waved at a smiling woman.

"Is that Jenna?" Damon leaned down and whispered. She nodded as she tried to hid the fact that she was creeped out. As she searched the room her eyes fell upon, Bill Forbes and a tall dark hair man, Logan Fell, Pastor Young and the other eleven members of the Founder's Council that died in that explosion. "Yeah, I'm officially creeped out." Damon said causing her to chuckle. He was good at that. Reading her mind and speaking her thoughts out loud.

"To the bride and groom," Ric said holding up his glass as they all followed his lead. Bonnie and Damon smiled at the crowd. "Here," Ric said leading them to one of the tables on the raised platforms in front of the Grill.

"I thought this was Heaven," Bonnie said.

"Why?" Damon asked sipping the bronze liquid in front of him.

"Oh, you know, bright white light," she said.

"Oh yeah. Don't go into the light, Carol-Anne,' he said popping his eyebrows up his forehead.

"Shut up Damon. I'm serious. There are dead people here."

"Way to state the obvious, Little Witch."

"I meant other than us," she said. Damon threw his are across the back of her chair and gazed out on the room.

Ric stood with his arm around a smiling Jenna, Bill Forbes and his boyfriend laughing with Liz. He spotted Pastor Young doting on his daughter, April. He was confused. The mix of people who should have faded away with them when the Other Side crumbled and people who were left in the land of the living boggled him.

Had he and Bonnie ripped some kind of time space thingy? Was it out of the realm of possibility that they were in an alternate universe.

"Bonnie, honey we're so happy for you," a smiling woman said as she leaned down and hugged her. "I'm so sorry we've never met Damon but we're here now."

"Oh. Um, Damon Salvatore, this is Grayson and Miranda Gilbert, Elena's parents," she said her eyes boring into Damon. He stiffened at the names. Not only because Elena's parents were dead but because Grayson Gilbert was an Augustine scientist.

"It's nice to meet you," Grayson said extending his hand to the vampire.

"I'd say likewise but I try not to lie before I eat," Damon said shaking his hand. Grayson grunted as Damon gripped his hand like a vicegrip.

"Damon," Bonnie said elbowing him in the side. He released the man's hand and smirked.

"Sorry., he said in a slick tone. The Gilberts walked away as Damon continued to observe the room. He spotted Matt laughing with Vicky and his mother, Tyler's mom sneaking him a drink, Bonnie's mom, Abbie throwing some serious side-eye in the direction of Rudy.

Bonnie sighed and looked across the bar and grill. In the back corner, shrouded in a glowing light and clothed in all white was Shelia again. She was still smiling and making eye contact with Bonnie. Elena stepped in front of her best friend and put a plate down in front of her. When she moved to place a play in front of Damon, Bonnie looked across the bar again but Grams was gone.

"Did you see..." she started to asked but appeared again only briefly this time to shake her head no.

"Did I see what?" he asked following her gaze.

"Nothing. Nothing," she said turning to Damon and smiling. He examined her face but dropped the topic...for now. She turned again but Grams was gone.

The evening went on with people stopping by and congratulating them and Bonnie and Damon spent most of the evening hands interlocked, trying to keep the confused looks off of the faces.

"Ok, listen, tomorrow is a big day," Caroline said pulling Bonnie out of her seat. She glanced back to Damon as the blonde pulled her across the Grill. "You're gonna be spending the night at the boarding house but this is the last night Bonnie," she said. "The bachelorette party is at the Gilbert house and that's where you'll spend the night before the wedding," she just nodded as she joined the group of Elena, Vicky and April in the corner.

"To the bride to be," Elena said happily handing Bonnie a shot glass. She silently thanked her friend for the drink; she needed it. They clinked glasses and threw the drinks back. "Woo!" Elena said as the Wild Turkey burned it's way down all of their throats. Bonnie glanced back over her shoulder and found Damon staring at her.

"Are we done?" she asked. "I'm kind of tired. I just want to go home."

"Yeah. People are getting rowdy anyway," Caroline said rolling her eyes. The green eyed beauty smiled at all the girls before she made her way back to Damon. He stood, held his hand out and pulled her from the loud bar.

"Find out anything?"

"Nothing that explains anything," she said as they walked to the car. Damon opened her door and she got inside. She kept seeing her Grams but she didn't want Bonnie to tell Damon. She wanted to know why.

"You ready?" he asked from beside her.

"Yeah. Let's go," Damon looked at her unconvinced but he started the car anyway. The drive back to the boarding house was silent. When he parked the car they both got out and linked hands on the way inside. They headed straight to his bedroom. They lay on the bed, her head on his chest and drifted off to sleep. When Bonnie awoke the next morning she didn't feel Damon's hand in hers. She opened her eyes and almost screamed when she saw her Grams standing at the foot of the bed. "Grams?"

"Bonnie." she smiled.

"What is going on? Where are we? Why do people think me and Damon are getting married? Why can't I tell Damon?

"I think you know."

"I promise you, I have no idea." Bonnie said crawling to the end of the bed.

"Do you remember what I said to you the last time we met?" Shelia asked as she took a step toward her granddaughter.

"Not really."

"I said, you're not the only member of this family who knows how to make a sacrifice," she said.

"I remember and I asked you what I meant."

"And I told you it means that I'm going to be fine, which I am. I found peace, baby because I made sure that you'd find yours."

"I don't understand, Grams," Bonnie said tearfully. "Everything is so weird here."

"This is an alternate life, Bonnie," Shelia said.

"Alternate life? Meaning what?"

"How do you feel?"

"I feel..." Bonnie began but stopped. She felt the way she felt when the white light took her; except for the minor confusion. She felt calm, happy and at peace. "I feel..."

"You feel peaceful," her grandmother finished for her. She nodded. "There is a reason for that. There is a reason that you found this peace with the person that you did."

"What is it?"

"Baby you know," Shelia said touching her granddaughter's cheek. "Bonnie, listen to me carefully. This is an alternate life, not a real life."

"I don't understand," Bonnie said confusion on her features.

"You are not meant to stay here forever. Not yet. You or Damon."

"What?"

"You have to find the reason you found your peace with him. You have to do it soon," Shelia said. "When you find the reason, you'll know what to do in order to get back to your real life."

"But...I like it here. Even though I'm confused about everything going on. It's peaceful," Bonnie said.

"I know baby. I know but as much as I hate to say it, peace is for the dead."

"I am dead," Bonnie said growing angry. "Damon's dead."

"Bonnie, listen to me. Find the reason. You and him are not supposed to be here forever yet. Do as I say," Shelia said before she disappeared. Bonnie blinked rapidly as the door to the room burst open.

"What the hell is going on?" Damon asked.

"What?"

"I just saw...I just..." he said dropping to the bed. "I just talked to Enzo in the kitchen."

"You did?"

"Yeah. The guy had on all white and he told me to find the reason I found my peace with you. Or some shit like that," Damon said laying back on the bed. Bonnie turned her head to the spot where her Grams had been standing. "He also told me not to tell you that I've been seeing him ever since we woke up yesterday but I said fuck that."

Bonnie sighed, "I've been seeing my Grams."

"You have?"

"Yes. She told me the same thing Enzo told you," she said laying beside him.

"What hell is going on?" he whispered. Bonnie just shook her head. A little while later there was a knock on the bedroom door. "Come in."

"Hey. Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you had a...Bonnie?" Stefan said looking at her.

"Hi," she waved.

"Uh, hi, can I talk to you in hall please?" he asked.

"Sure," she said as she jumped off the bed.

"What are you doing with my brother?" Stefan said so low that she almost missed the question.

"We're...what?" Bonnie asked. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at the younger Salvatore. He had on his leather jacket and a backpack. "Where are you going?"

"School. Like you should be," he said. "You didn't answer my question."

"I know. I'm sorry. Um, we were...talking about Klaus," she said hopeful.

"He's bad news," Stefan said.

"Who? Klaus or Damon?"

"Pick."

"I'm fine. I'll, uh, see you at school," She said her hand on the knob.

"I'll wait for you downstairs," Stefan said as he headed down. When Bonnie reentered the room, she noticed her backpack at the foot of Damon's bed. She reached up and felt her long wavy hair.

"Damon?"

"What's going on with the hair, Bonnie?" he asked sitting up.

"I think I'm back at Mystic Falls High."

"Ew. Alright. I'll drive you," Damon said standing.

"Stefan's waiting for me."

"I'm still coming. I'm not letting you out of my sight now that we're seeing Enzo the friendly ghost and Grams the friendly witch," he said escorting her from his room.

XX

Damon sat in his blue muscle car and watched Bonnie, Stefan and Elena walk toward Mystic Falls High School.

"What are you doing, mate?" Enzo's voice suddenly asked.

"Shit. Don't do that," Damon said shocked as he jumped in his seat.

"The great Damon Salvatore scared of little ol' me?" Enzo teased.

"I'm not scared of anything."

"That's why you jumped in your seat?"

"Shut up. What do you want, Enzo?" Damon said cutting his eyes at him.

"I already asked you a question that you simply avoided," Enzo said. "What are you doing?"

"What's it look like?"

"Not what we talked about?"

"You were cryptic," Damon said.

"I wasn't," Enzo said as he peered out the window at Caroline Forbes.

"Never gonna happen."

"I don't see why not. I've got an accent and I've killed loads of people. I'm perfect for her," the Brit in the passenger seat joked.

"Is there a point to this conversation?" the eldest Salvatore asked.

"Only that you need to find the reason you found your peace with her," Enzo said turning to his friend.

"What does that even mean?" Damon asked.

"There are things in this world that are here to help you...determine the reason," Enzo said looking back out the window. "Find it, Damon. Don't do what you always do."

"What do I always do?" Damon asked in a snotty tone.

"Procrastinate," Enzo said. Damon turned to give his friend his best judging you face but when he looked to the passenger seat, it was empty.

"This place just keeps getting more and more weird." Damon said as he got out of the car and sped toward the entrance of the school. As creepy as it was, Damon lurked in the hallways of fair MFHS. He had to keep an eye on Bonnie. Anything could happen and if it did, he planned to be there to save her.

* * *

School was boring. Damon had absolutely no fun. Nothing at all happened that would cause him to have to step in and be the hero. All in all, his day sucked. He exited the building, hopped in his car and headed home. When he got there he noticed Stefan's car in the driveway. He turned the ignition off and went inside.

"Stefan and me are gonna go pick up something. Don't go anywhere," Damon heard Elena say.

"I'll be fine, Elena," Bonnie said. Damon could hear the irritation in her voice. He zipped upstairs to his room to hide until his brother and Elena left.

"We'll be back," Stefan said as he closed his bedroom door behind him. Bonnie put her ear to the door and when she could not hear either of them anymore she made her way to Damon's room. She knocked briefly before entering.

"Hey! I could've been naked," Damon said looking up from his book. He was laying on his bed, ankles crossed, propped against the headboard, one arm behind his head, a book in the other on his abdomen.

"Shut up," she said sitting down beside him.

"So Bon, anything interesting happen at school today?" he asked, laying the book down on his stomach and bringing in other arm down to grab her hand. "Because my day sucked."

"Kinda. I don't know," she said her eyebrows knitted together.

"Did you see anything...weird?"

"Weird. Most definitely."

"What was it?" Damon questioned.

"Vicki Donovan," Bonnie replied.

"Not weird. We saw her already in this freaky ass place," he said.

"Honor roll Vicki?" she asked. "No, it was weird."

"I'm not convinced. What else?"

"Ok, after school Kelly Donovan picked Vicki up from school for some shopping and before they left, she kissed Matt on the temple and told him to have a good day at work."

"Hmph," Damon said. "Seems..."

"Weird," Bonnie finished for him. He nodded. "Should we..."

"I'm already headed toward the car," Damon said stretching into his leather jacket.

X

When Bonnie and Damon pull into the Donovan driveway, Kelly's car was sitting there. They exited the car and Bonnie knocked on the door.

"Hi Bonnie. Matt's at work," Kelly said with a motherly smile.

"Oh. I know. I was actually here to see you," she said.

"Oh, how nice. You wanna come in?" Mrs. Donovan asked.

"No, no. I just need to ask you a question," Bonnie said.

"Ask away."

"What are we doing here?"

"Um..." Kelly said looking from Bonnie to Damon.

"Why are we here together?" Damon inquired.

"I don't know. You guys came over here. Are you feeling alright?" Kelly questioned as she reached out and put her wrist on Bonnie's forehead.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry. That was random and weird," the girl said.

"Yeah, well Bon, your hypothesis was right. If you just start asking people random questions, they will  _not_ pretend like they know what you're taking about," Damon covered.

"Oh, this was for school?" Kelly asked.

"Something like that," Bonnie said. "Thanks for helping out," she said as her bid goodbye.

"Well, that clearly wasn't the damn answer," Damon said as the backed out of the driveway. "Where to now?"

"The Grill," she said. Damon nodded and pushed the pedal to the floor and sped toward town. Damon parked his car in the back lot of the Mystic Grill. He got out, opened Bonnie's door, grabbed her hand and they proceeded inside. They sat down at an empty table in the raised part of the restaurant.

"Hey guys. Welcome to the Grill, can I get you anything?" Vicki Donovan asked with a bright smile.

"Two shots of bourbon," Damon said looking her in the eyes.

"Two bourbons. Coming right up," she nodded.

"I don't need..." Bonnie started when she walked away.

"Anyone who has been through the shit we've been through, needs a drink. It's just a shot. Don't be a baby, little witch," Damon joked. Bonnie rolled her eyes as Vicki returned to the table.

"Here ya go. Can I get you anything else?" she questioned.

"Yeah. What are we doing here together?" Damon asked pointing from himself to Bonnie. Vicki was silent for a moment. The pair shared a glance.

"I'm guessing because you wanted to pay for alcohol," she said raising an eyebrow.

"No. Goodbye," Damon said with a flourish of his hand. Vicki shrugged and left their table. Before either of them could speak they were interrupted again.

"What's going on?" Elena asked as she wrapped her arm around Bonnie's shoulders.

"We're having a drink," Bonnie answered. Damon just sat there, eyes boring into Elena. The Gilbert girl shifted uncomfortably a little under his gaze; Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"We told you to say at the boarding house," Stefan said.

"Bonnie is a quasi adult. She was bored because mommy and daddy left her home with no toys so, Uncle Damon took her out for a little fun," Damon commented. The youngest Salvatore gave his brother a stern look. "Don't worry. I brought the car seat and see, I got her bourbon to help with the teething."

"Ha. Ha, Damon," Elena said annoyed. "Come on Bonnie, let's go," she said grabbing her best friend's hand.

"No. I'm ok. I promise. I'll see you in a little while. Damon offered to by me dinner and who am I to pass up a free meal," Bonnie said squeezing Elena's hand. Damon was still longingly gazing at Elena and she still avoided his stare.

"Ok. Call me if you need anything," she said cutting her eyes at the eldest Salvatore.

"I will," the witch said hugging her. Elena returned the hug before taking Stefan's hand and walking away from the table. "Obvious much?"

"What?"

"Next time just stand on the table and declare your undying love for her," Bonnie said rolling her eyes.

"What's your problem?" Damon asked annoyed.

"This is not  _your_  Elena. Stop trying to change the already off-kilter balance," she spat.

"I..."

"Whatever Damon," they were silent for a moment. Bonnie threw her shot back and reveled in the warmth that the miniscule amount of liquor supplied. Damon was about to say something when Matt's laughter from behind the bar caught their attention. They locked eyes with each other and they simultaneously rose from their seats, locked hands and headed toward the bar.

They watched as Matt slipped Tyler a couple of shots and winked at his sister. He moved happily behind the bar as if he hadn't a care in the world.

"Donovan!" Damon called. Matt turned and walked down the bar to them.

"What's up?" he smiled.

"What are we doing here?" Bonnie asked. Matt looked at her with a bright smile. Damon and Bonnie shared a confused glance. Suddenly, all the people began to fade away, then the tables and chairs and light fixtures. Bonnie and Damon looked around them as the bar faded and the space that was once the grill was just a brilliant white empty room. When they turned to face Matt, he was dressed in all white; like Grams and Enzo had been. "What's going on, Matt?"

"I'm not Matt. Not exactly." he said with a gentle smile.

"What's that mean?" Bonnie whispered.

"Don't be frightened. We chose the faces of those close to you." the Matt look-a-like said as Enzo and Grams appeared.

"So, you're not Grams?" Bonnie said tearfully.

"I'm your Grams, baby. He's not Enzo though." she said grabbing her granddaughter's hands. "I needed help."

"With what?"

"Getting you to understand."

"Grams, I don't understand," Bonnie said shaking her head. Shelia turned and looked at the blonde man behind her. He touched her shoulder and she moved away.

"Bonnie, My name is Amitiel," the man with Matt's face said. "This is my brother Anael," he said pointing to the Enzo look-a-like. "Your Grams asked for our help."

"I heard," Bonnie said squeezing Damon's hand.

"What is it exactly are we supposed to understanding?" Damon questioned, the agitation growing in his voice.

"Why you were embraced by the divine light," Anael spoke up.

"Oh," Damon nodded. "Of course."

"You must go home, Damon," Amitiel counseled. "You have been away for..."

"A few days, so what?" he said shrugging. Anael and Amitiel shared a look.

"No," Anael said.

"No what?" Bonnie asked.

"You have not been gone for a few days," Amitiel stated.

"No, we did the engagement party thing on the first day, we did the school and going to the grille thing on the second day," Damon specified. The brothers shared another look.

"What's going on?" Bonnie asked.

"You have been in this realm for two years," Amitiel revealed.

"What!" the eldest Salvatore shouted. "What the hell are you talking about? It's only been a few days!"

"Damon, please calm down," Anael said.

"No! Fuck you!" he bellowed.

"Damon!" Shelia said sternly. "You watch your mouth and calm down." Damon steeled his jaw but remained silent.

"Thank you," Amitiel said with a nod to Shelia. "Come with me," he said as he turned and walked deeper into the white room. When he stopped he turned back to face Bonnie and Damon. "As I said before, you have been here for two Earth years."

"So, we're not on Earth?" Damon questioned.

"We died, were engaged and I had to go back to high school, Damon. We're obviously not on Earth." Bonnie barked with an eye roll. "Amitiel, please explain what is going on."

"You and Damon were chosen to enter the divine light together," he began. "What you both must understand that most people are not awarded the gift we have given you."

"What gift?" Damon spat.

"The gift of a new beginning." the Matt look-a-like answered. "Both of you needed a change, a breakthrough, to see what you needed."

"What I need is to go home. I have people waiting for me." Damon said.

"And you will, but not until you reveal the reason you are here." Amitiel said. "This is not a punishment. It is an opportunity to reevaluate your previous Earthly lives in order to start anew when you return."

"Not a punishment my ass." Damon muttered. Amitiel ignored him and with a flourish of his arm a giant space in the whiteness beside him opened up.

"What is this?" Bonnie asked.

"I want you to see what has been happening since you've been away." the Matt doppelganger said as he turned to the open space. It was as if a camera was focusing. The scene cleared, they were looking at a long elegant hallway and running down the hall as fast as her little legs could carry her was a little girl with bronze color hair flowing behind her and brilliant blue eyes.

_"_ _Hope!" Caroline's voice rang out. "No, no, ok. Auntie Care get_ _s_ _it, that thing in you hand is really pretty but Waterford is not a toy," she said as she ran down the hall after her._

_"Did you find her?" another female voice asked. From around the corner came Hayley Marshall. She moved quickly beside Caroline while they chased the giggling girl down the hallway. She was waving a long candlestick. "Ok baby. Hand that to mommy." Hope just laughed and kept running until she was scooped up by Klaus._

_"Are you being a bad girl?" he asked with a smile._

_"No." she squealed._

_"Hand that to mommy," Klaus said when Caroline and Hayley joined him at the end of hallway. Hope did as she was told and handed the expensive candlestick to her mother._

_"Thank you," Caroline smiled._

_"You're welcome, love," he said as he leaned over and kissed her before the spaced closed._

"What the hell?" Damon said his eyes squinted.

"Caroline left Mystic Falls soon after you two died." Amitiel explained. "She decided to no longer deny the truth about her feelings about Niklaus and she's never been happier."

"I'm happy for her," Bonnie smiled gently.

"She could be with Lockwood. At least she upgraded," Damon added. Bonnie once again rolled her eyes. Amitiel flourished his arm again and the space opened up.

"That's Whitmore," she said as the "camera" scanned the campus.

_It landed on Jeremy and Tyler. They were laughing as they exited one of the buildings. The scene panned up and show_ _ed_ _it was the art annex. As they were crossing the green campus and petite Hispanic girl ran up to him and kissed Jeremy on the mouth._

_"Hey Jer!" she said when they broke the kiss._

_"Rose," he smiled. "What's up?"_

_"The Whitmore Annual Art Appreciation Gala," she said happily. Both boys were silent for a moment._

_"Ok, I'll bite," Tyler said. "What the hell is the Whitmore Annual Art Appreciation Gala?"_

_"It's a fancy party where they honor Alumni who have successful careers in the arts but that doesn't matter because I got the three of us tickets. Well four of us. I invited my sister." Rose said with a bright smile at Tyler_

_"I don't like you sister but because she's hot, I'll go,"_

_"Nice, Ty," Jeremy said rolling his eyes. "Nice." Tyler shrugged as the whiteness closed again._

"I see Young Jeremy had no problems moving on," Damon said with a smirk.

"Well, that's a good thing," Bonnie spoke. She meant it. She hadn't wanted Jeremy to not move on. He was young and had so much to live for.

"I thought you loved him?" Damon questioned.

"I do. That's why I'm glad that he's happy," she told him.

"That's very mature of you, Bon-Bon but it's only been a few years," he said. "I thought you guys has an  _epic love_  or whatever."

"No one ever said that and I don't know what you problem is but it's not with me," she rolled her eyes and turned back to Amitiel. He waved his arm again and the scene opened up into the Grille.  _It was much different than the grill she had grown up with. It was still all dark wood paneling but the furniture was black wrought iron and modern. The "camera" panned to a tall, blonde man behind the bar. He was wearing a button-up with a black vest and a navy blue tie._ "Matt." Bonnie smiled.  _The blue eyed man looked happy. She and Damon watched as employees came up to him with problems, he signed off on inventory and order forms._

_"How's being manager treating you, Matt?" a voice off screen asked. Damon perked up at the sound of Ric's voice. They watched as the dark hair man sat down on a high backed chair. Matt poured two glasses of bourbon and placed them in front of him. Ric gripped one and slid the other one to the right in front of a chair that was covered with a black cloth. "Cheers, Damon," he said raising his glass before he took a long swig. Matt waited until Ric pulled his eyes away from the cloth covered chair before speaking,_

_"It's going great, Mr. Saltzman."_

_"Good, you've been working here 90 years. It was about time," Ric laughed._

_"Yeah. So, how's being principal treating you?" Matt asked._

_"I think I just might hate kids," Ric joked. The whiteness closed on the two men laughing._

"Are you ready?" Amitiel asked softly. Bonnie glanced at Damon before nodding.  _The whiteness opened again and this time it was showing the Salvatore boarding house. It looked exactly like they remembered it. As the view changed, Stefan and Elena came into sight. They were hugged up on one of the leather couches in front of the fire._

_"This is nice," Elena said snuggling in closer to Stefan's chest._

_"It is," he smiled. "I missed this."_

_"Me too," she said turning to look at him. Bonnie hadn't realized until that moment that Damon was still holding on to her hand. His vampire strength crushing her fingers. She glanced at him and he eased up a bit. "But, it's time to get up," Elena said as she tried to pull away._

_"_ _Nah, not yet," Stefan's crooked grin coaxing her back to him. "We've got some time," he said as he leaned down and kissed her waiting lips._  Bonnie winced at the pain in her hand. Before she could react, Damon's hand was gone.

"What the hell is that?" he yelled as he grabbed Amitiel by the collar. "Stop with the lies! Jeremy and Elena love us!"

"Damon, remove your hands from me," Amitiel said calmly.

"I've lived for over 170 years. You don't get to tell me what to do. So now, you're gonna give me some damn answers!" the vampire shouted gripping the man's collar tighter, slightly lifting him off the ground. Amitiel was silent but suddenly Damon's fingers became zigzags and he fell to his knees in pain.

"Stop it!" Bonnie yelled as she ran to Damon's side. "Stop it!" she screamed again, looking Amitiel in the eyes. Damon slumped against her.

"It will do you well to keep your hands to yourself and finish your journey in one piece," Amitiel said locking eyes with Damon. "You are no match for someone who had lived for millennia." Bonnie helped Damon to his feet.

"Are you alright?" she asked as she placed his crooked fingers in her palm. She watched as each one healed itself into the perfect straight lines they were.

"Peachy," he commented gruffly.

"May we continue?" the Matt look-a-like asked.

"Yes," she answered, directing her attention back to the frozen image of Stefan and Elena.

_"_ _No, Stefan. We don't_ _have time_ _," Elena giggled as Stefan planted kissed_ _on her forehead, cheeks and lips. "Carolin_ _e_ _'s gonna be here any minute."_

_"So?"_

_"She's bringing Klaus and Hope."_

_"Oh yeah," he said. "We're all buddies now. I forget," he chuckled._

_"Exactly. I really think that Bonnie and Damon would have wanted us to have moved on and to have grown up," Elena said, her head on his solid chest._

_"You're right," Stefan said his jaw clenched._

_"I know, so let's get up and get started," she said cheerily as she got up from the couch. She held her hands out to him and after a groan of displeasure, he took them and stood up. "Thank you."_

_"I love you," he said with a gentle kiss to her forehead._

_"I love you too." she smiled. As they walked hand and hand out of the study, the whiteness closed._

"Do you have any answers yet?" Amitiel asked.

"Answers? How in the hell are we supposed to have answers when you opened up all these new questions?" Damon spat.

"Like what?"

"Like how long has Young Jeremy being with that chick?" he questioned.

"A little over eight months." the white clad man answered.

"How long has...has..." he paused and furrowed his eyebrows. "How long has Elena and my brother been a thing?"

"A little less than a year," Amitiel answered. "Ten months to be more precise."

"Ten months," Damon sighed.

"Yes, but now that I have answered your questions it's time for you to answer your own," he informed them.

"Our questions?" Bonnie inquired.

"What are you doing here and why are you here together?" he said. Bonnie and Damon glanced at each other. "I will help you," Amitiel said as he took a step toward them. He reached out his index and middle fingers and touched their foreheads.

"Damon!" Bonnie yelled as she stood in the white room alone. "Damon!" she called again. She was alone and she didn't know what to do now so she just started walking. The white room was disorienting. There were no windows or doors, no light fixtures, nothing. It was just bright white, from top to bottom but she kept walking because what else was she going to do.

_"_ _You're not the only member of this family who knows how to make a sacrifice,"_  Grams voice rang out. Bonnie spun around but she was still alone. " _I'm going to be fine, I found peace, baby because I made sure that you'd find yours."_ Bonnie spun around again. Still alone.

"It's in your head, Bonnie," she said aloud to herself. "Great. Now you're hearing voices," Bonnie muttered as she turned around and kept walking.

_"_ _You have to find the reason you found your peace with him. You have to do it soon,"_  the Grams in her head said.  _"When you find the reason, you'll know what to do in order to get back to your real life."_ Bonnie stopped walking. Her mind was moving a mile a minute. She thought back over everything that she and Damon had just seen. Damon had been right. Jeremy and Elena do love them but it was foolish to believe that after two years, they would still be waiting; but she still had questions.

"Amitiel? Anael? Grams?" she yelled into oblivion. "Amitiel?"

"Yes?" a voice answered.

"I have some questions."

"Ask them."

"Did they try to get us back?" Bonnie questioned.

"Of course they did. They love you but this place is beyond their reach." Amitiel smiled gently.

Bonnie nodded, "Ok, Are Jeremy and Elena truly happy?" Amitiel smiled softly and was silent for a long moment.

"Yes, Bonnie. They are truly happy."

"Why Rose or whatever her name was?"

"Rosalinda Suarez is a beautiful girl that is a perfect combination of the two loves of Jeremy's life," he explained.

"What?" she asked confused.

"You and Vicki Donovan." Amitiel said. "While those living can not find true peace, Jeremy has found someone that balances his life and who didn't run away at the news that most of the people he knows are supernatural beings."

"Oh." Bonnie said her eyelashes thick with tears.

"But Bonnie, you are not here to..."

"I know. I think I know why I'm...we're here."

"You do?" Amitiel inquired.

"Yes." Bonnie answered. Amitiel took a step forward and placed the palm of his hand on her forehead and closed his eyes.

Flashes of Bonnie and Damon on Earth appeared rapidly. Damon cornering her beside her car and caressing her face, him trying to take Emily's necklace, the two of them working together at the 60's decade dance, Damon asking Bonnie for help with Mason Lockwood, the two of them hatching more successful plans, Damon changing Abbie, Damon being chained up by Rebekah, Bonnie making a move to save him but didn't because of a little reminder from Klaus. Bonnie breaking down outside of the Mikaelson house because she didn't save her friend and realizing in that moment that she was mad at him for changing a person that didn't mean anything to him in order to keep her a witch; in order to keep her the person she was meant to be. Damon saving her from the island, the "defeating of Silas", the two of them working together, even if it was unwillingly, to help Damon find Wes Maxfield. Bonnie and Damon forming another plan to bring Stefan and anyone else who died back from the other side before it fell apart and finally them disappearing into white oblivion.

"What have you learned?" he asked her removing his hand from her.

XX

Damon was annoyed. First, he just saw Stefan and Elena, not his favorite pairing, now he couldn't find Bonnie. The whiteness around him was endless and because of that it was hard to navigate.

_"Y_ _ou need to find the reason you found your peace with her,"_ Enzo's voice said in his head.

"Who cares?" Damon said aloud.

_"_ _You and Damon were chosen to enter the divine light together,"_ Amitiel's voice sounded in his head _. "What you both must understand_ _is_ _that most people are not awarded the gift we have given you."_

" _"_ _The Gift."_ Right," Damon muttered.

_"_ _The gift of a new beginning." the Matt look-a-like_ _inside his head said._ _"Both of you needed a change, a breakthrough, to see what you needed."_

Damon laid down where he was. His arms being his head, feet crossed at the ankle. He was a fairly smart man, he could figure this cryptic shit out. He closed his eyes and visions of Elena danced across the forefront of his mind. The two of them sharing intimate moments and their knock down, drag out fights. The strength he found in their love but also the guilt and shame he found in it. He shifted uncomfortably as the memory of his final goodbye began to replay. It was heartfelt and hard and he had meant it...at the time.

_"_ _I don't have a choice, baby. You are, by far, the greatest thing that ever happened to me in my 173 years on this Earth. I get to die knowing I was loved not just by anyone, but you, Elena Gilbert. It's the epitome of a fulfilled life. It's never gonna get any better than this. I peaked."_

But as he lay there he was second guessing himself. Damon shot up and looked around the open space at nothing.

"Amitiel!" he screamed. "What the hell was the other guy's name?" he muttered as he racked his brain.

"Anael," a voice said behind him.

"Shit. Stop doing that," Damon said.

"What do you need?" he chuckled.

"Well, I'm just assuming here that you're all knowing," Damon began. "But I have a couple questions."

"Ask them," Anael smirked.

"The Scooby Gang at least  _tried_ to find us, right?"

"Of course they did. Ric and Stefan did everything they could, mate but you were beyond their reach," Anael told him.

"Ok, Stefan and Elena?" he asked his eyebrows kneaded together.

"Damon, it was always going to be Stefan," the Enzo look-a-like said his voice orotund. Damon nodded silently. Anael stood a step toward him and placed his palm on his forehead and visions of Damon and Bonnie began to play. A moment later he stepped away, a wide smile etched on his face.

"What?"

"You're bloody brilliant," Anael beamed.

"I know but why do you say that?" Damon asked.

"You've found the reason."

"I found the...no, no, no."

"Yes," Anael said sternly.

"That can't be it," Damon said shaking his head.

"Damon, trust your instincts. Do not go backward after making so much forward progress."

"I..."

"You have found peace and your second chance," Anael smiled. Damon sighed. He had seen everything that Anael had seen. He knew that the man that looked like one of his best friends was telling the truth. He couldn't deny it and frankly, he didn't want to anymore. He truly happy for the first time in 173 years, there was no way he was going to pass that up.

"What do I do now?" Damon asked with a nervous excitement.

* * *

When Bonnie opened her eyes she felt well rested. A little disoriented but well rested. She blinked rapidly trying to bring the vision in front of her more clear. All of her senses returned slowly. Her vision; she looked at her surrounding and it was familiar to her. Her hearing; the rustling trees and someone's feet crunching twigs nearby. Her sense of smell; the perfumed air wafted past her nose. Her sense of taste; as she took a deep breath she felt the cool air soothe her throat and lungs. Finally, her sense of touch; with her right hand she could feel the cold, hard ground, but with the other, she could feel fingers interlocked with hers. She squeezed them and they squeezed her back.

"Bonnie?" a croaky voice said. She turned her head toward the left and her eyes landed on Damon Salvatore. He smiled at her briefly before he pulled her close to him. "You're real?"

"I'm real," she said quietly. Damon wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. Bonnie melted into his embrace. She reveled in the feeling of his fingertips sliding through her short hair. "We should get up."

"You're right," he muttered. "Figure out where the hell we are now," he said releasing her. Damon hopped up then pulled her to her feet. He weaved his fingers back through hers and they both looked wide-eyed at the scene in front of them. "Are we..."

"Is this..." she began.

"Yes. You are home," a stentorian voice said from behind them. They both whipped around and were face-to-face with Amitiel.

"What do you mean?" Damon questioned.

"This is Mystic Falls," he said, he arms held out as if he were presenting them with their hometown. "You are home. This is where your journey began; it is up to you where you go from here."

"I don't know about Damon but I'm kind of fed up with all the riddles," Bonnie said tightly.

Amitiel chuckled, "You both received the answers you were seeking." Bonnie and Damon looked at each other and smiled. "All of your memories of your time in the divine light are intact. Take the knowledge you gained and make a change. There are a few things that you both should know."

"Like what?" Damon questioned.

"You have been returned as a vampire. It is unnatural but it's who you are." Amitiel informed him. Damon's face changed and he grinned. "And you Bonnie. You're magic has been restored."

"What do you mean?" she asked, tears in he eyes.

"You have the power of every witch in your line. From Qetsiyah right down to the magic you were born with," he explained.

"How is that possible?" Bonnie asked. This news terrified her. She didn't know if she was going to be able to handle all that power.

"When the Other Side came to an end the magic of every witch that dwelled there was collected. For you." Amitiel stated. "You are a Bennett. You were meant to be the strongest witch in the world."

"I don't want to abuse it," she muttered.

"I won't let you," Damon said kissing her temple.

Amitiel smiled gently, "You and the magic are in good hands. Bennett magic is like the roots of a tree. All other magic that any witch possesses stems from yours."

"I'm scared," Bonnie admitted.

"Do not be. You have learned from you mistakes. Go forward from here proving that you have," Amitiel said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Thank you," Bonnie said hugging him.

"You are welcome," Amitiel whispered as he hugged her back. Damon nodded to him as he and Bonnie released each other. "You begin new lives now." he said before he suddenly disappeared. They were alone finally but neither could speak. Damon lifted their clasped hands to his mouth and she felt her hand tingle where he placed his lips.

"Damon, we..." she started.

"Shh. Let me go first," he said looking into her green orbs. She nodded and waited for him to continue. "What Elena and I had was...well, I thought it was the best thing that I would ever encounter. As a matter of fact, I told her that I had peaked in the love department," Damon paused. "I was wrong. My time in the great beyond showed me that."

"What exactly are you saying, Damon?" Bonnie questioned looking into his ice blue eyes. He smirked at her before he crashed his lips into her. Every nerve in her body was on end. The stimulation she felt from getting what she wanted was overwhelming. She snaked her arms around his neck as he weaved his arms around her waist. The wind began to blow violently but they kept kissing, Thunder rolled, lightening cracked and a sprinkling rain hit their faces but they kept kissing. The flames of the candles in the nearby cemetery shot up and burned brightly but they're lips remained locked.

"Bon?" Damon said against her lips.

"What?"

"What's going on?" he chuckled.

"Kissing," she said pressing her lips to his again.

"Yeah, I know that but uh, look down," Damon said breaking her kiss. Bonnie looked over her arm and gasped. "Yeah so how about you put us back on the ground?"

"Sorry," Bonnie blushed.

"Don't be because I'm an idiot," he quipped.

"I know but what does that have to do with what's happening right now?" she teased. "You're not the one who made us float."

"Ha, ha. No, I'm not but, you're an emotional magic user," Damon said.

"What the hell does that even mean?" Bonnie questioned as they walked hand in hand through the woods.

"It means that whenever you're in a highly emotional situation, like kissing me for example, you're magic gets a little..."

"Crazy."

"Yeah something like that," he said.

"That  _actually_  made sense," she said, shrugging.

"You didn't think it would?"

"It was a startling yet pleasant surprise that it did," Bonnie flirted. Damon laughed. When they got to where the woods met the town they both sighed. "This is it."

"Yep," Damon said, his eyes looking at the lights of Mystic Falls. Bonnie took a step and he pulled her back. "Wait."

"What's wrong?" she asked, placing her hand on his face.

"Nothing," he said nuzzling into her touch. "I just wanted to tell you something important."

"Alright. I'm listening," she said her green eyes searching his.

"I love you," Damon blurted out. Bonnie's eyes grew the size of saucers. She was taken aback and she had no idea what to say to him. She felt the same but she never expected him to feel it, too. Yes, they had kissed but people kiss. "Bonnie? You in there?"

"What? Oh. I'm sorry," Bonnie said snapping back in to reality.

"Are you ok?" he asked. She nodded. "Did you hear what I said?" she nodded again.

"I love you too."

"You do?"

"Yes. I'm in love you, Damon," she admitted. Damon smirked and quirked his eyebrow. "What?"

"Always gotta out do me, Little Witch," he chuckled. Damon was mesmerized by the glow of the moon on her skin and how the green of her eyes seemed to sparkle and her smile was a solace from the wretchedness he felt inside all the time. "I'm in love with you, too." Bonnie stood on her tiptoes and smashed her lips against his in a fiery lip lock. Damon placed his hand on either side of her head and pulled her away. "As much as I love kissing you," he said as he lightly kissed her. "we should go."

"You're right," Bonnie nodded. "What day is it?"

"I have no idea," Damon laughed. They eased out onto the sidewalk and asked the first person they saw. When they found out it was Saturday, they thanked the stranger and Damon led Bonnie back to the woods. "Get on."

"Excuse me?"

"Get on my back. It's faster," he said. Bonnie quirked her eyebrow. "I  _can_  force you."

"I  _can_  hurt you," she teased. Damon smirked and he squatted low. Bonnie sighed and climbed on and without warning they were off. When they arrived outside of the boarding house, he let her down.

"Fun, right?" he smirked.

"I can think of about ten things more fun," she letting out a deep breath.

"Well, me too but the ten I can think of all have to do with my bed," Damon said sexily into her ear. She blushed and elbowed him in the side. "You ready?" she shook her head. "Yeah me either," he said as he pushed the front door open. From the doorway they could hear laughter and music. Damon wove his fingers into Bonnie's and they proceeded toward the noise. He stopped short of the doorway and peered around the corner.

"What's going on?" she questioned.

"Little Hope is telling a story," Damon answered as the room laughed again.

"We should wait until she's done," Bonnie said squeezing his hand. Damon nodded and laid flat against the wall.

When the laughter finally died down, they shared a nervous glance before turning the corner.

"Hey guys. What's for dinner?" Damon asked with a smirk. Bonnie watched as they all stared at them. She couldn't put her finger on what emotion their faces held. She and Damon just stood there, hand in hand, waiting for one of them to speak. Or blink. Or something.

"Bonnie?" Matt finally said in a hoarse voice, his blue eyes brimming with tears. Bonnie nodded as she felt a tear roll down her face. Matt chuckled as tears streamed down his face. He rose from the table, ran over and wrapped Bonnie in a tight hug. "I don't even care how you're back," he said happily, his voice thick.

"I missed you too." she said happily. As she and one of her best friends released each other Stefan zoomed from his seat and wrapped Damon in a bone crushing embrace.

"What's going on?" Stefan questioned, still hugging his brother. "How is this possible? I mean, Ric and I, we tried..." he cried, his hands on either side of his older brother's face.

"I know, little brother," Damon said pulling Stefan into another hug. The rest of the group got up from the table and bombarded them with hugs and questions.

"What happened?" Ric asked handing Damon a tumbler of a bronze liquid.

"It's hard to explain," he answered, taking a swig.

"You just...you just disappeared," Elena whispered.

"We thought..." Caroline added, wiping tears from her blue eyes.

"We thought you guys got sucked into darkness," Stefan finished.

"No," Bonnie said shaking her head. "We were um..."

"Me and Bon here took a stroll into the white light," Damon said with a quirk of his eyebrow. Their friends looked at them in horror.

"How are you back then?" a curious Klaus as from the table were he held Hope in his arms.

"Some..." Damon started with a glance to Bonnie, who shrugged. "Some people helped us find our way back."

"So witches?" Jeremy piped up.

"No, not witches. My Grams helped." Bonnie smiled. "She found peace and set things in order for me."

"What's that mean?" Matt asked.

"It means we found peace, too," Damon answered.

"I always thought that finding peace meant you took your final bow," Klaus said.

"Usually but Damon and I are special," Bonnie informed the listening room.

"It wasn't our time."

"Are you alright though?" Tyler asking, finally able to speak.

"As far as I can tell," she answer with a gentle smile. "Listen, we know it's been two years but we've been..."

"We've been briefed on what your lives are now," Damon finished for her.

"And you're ok with that?" Ric questioned his eyes locked on Damon's. The eldest Salvatore sighed.

"Yeah. Bon and I are in a new place," he said looking down at their tightly clasped hands.

"What's that mean?" Caroline inquired.

"It means that Damon and I are together," Bonnie replied.

"I'm in love with her," Damon said with a crooked smile that made Bonnie melt.

"Really?" Jeremy's slick voice asked.

"Yes, young Jeremy, really," Damon said rolling his eyes. "I realized a lot of things while I was gone. My love for Bonnie is one of them."

"Who cares if it's not returned?" Caroline asked.

"Who said it wasn't returned?" Bonnie queried. "Damon and I have changed. I can feel it but it seems like after two years you guys are just as judgmental now as you were then."

"No one's judging Bonnie, but it's Damon," Tyler chimed in.

"No one said anything to Caroline when she called your ass for an entire summer with no answer like a desperate little girl or to you avoiding her because you didn't want her to tell you that your quest to kill Klaus was stupid and bigger and badder, namely me, had tried and failed so there was no way that you, baby Lockwood, would be able to take him out; because God forbid some bruise the ego of the Lockwood mutt," Damon said in a stentorian voice. "And no one said anything to Jeremy about cheating on Bonnie with a dead chick like a weirdo but when Bonnie is standing here tell you that she's in love with me, you guys try to make it seem like she's crazy for giving her heart to me," he continued angrily. "Well fuck you guys too. My track record is way better than any of yours. I've never cheated like  _Jer_ , I've never pretended I didn't have feelings for someone who I clearly loved like Caroline, and I never flip-flopped between two people like Elena but for whatever fucking reason I'm Satan and I don't deserve love."

"It's ok Damon," Bonnie said squeezing his hand. "I don't care what they think. I never really have."

"Bon," Matt said stepping up beside her. "If Damon is what makes you happy, go for it. "Don't let these guys and their opinions stand in the way."

"Thanks Matt," she smiled.

"I agree with Matt," Stefan said, his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"I'm happy for you guys," Ric said holding up a glass. Bonnie and Damon smiled at him. They hadn't realized until this very moment how deep their love for each other ran. How real it was to and for the both of them.

"Well, if the excitement's over, shall we return to dinner?" Klaus asked with smirk, breaking the silence that had befallen the room. Stefan chuckled and led Bonnie and Damon to the table. Elena fixed them plates and everyone began to eat in silence again.

"Bonnie?" a little voice at the end of table said.

"Yes?" she answered.

"My friend Amitiel told me to say hello and that he's proud of you and Damon," Hope said beaming.

"That's her imaginary friend," Klaus said. Bonnie and Damon stared wide eyes at the adorable little girl.

"Um, well, tell him thank you," Bonnie said.

"I will, when he gets back. He said he was needed by his brother," Hope said as she bit into a chicken nugget. Bonnie nodded and turned to Damon. He shrugged.

"We're doing what we're supposed to," Damon whispered in her ear. "I'm proud of us too." Bonnie's cheeks flushed rose. Damon winked then leaned over and captured her lips in a fiery kiss. When they broke apart, they saw her Grams standing in the corner of the dining room smiling brightly at them. They smiled back and without a word, she was gone. Damon grasped Bonnie's hand under the table as they began to listen to Ric tell a story about one of his students.

Bonnie and Damon spent the entire evening looking at their friends and family. They reveled in the joy and love they felt. After dinner and all the dishes were cleared Damon took Bonnie to his room.

"How are you?" she asked sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Tired," he chuckled. He sat down beside her and pulled her close. "We've been to...Heaven and back."

"Yep," Bonnie said snuggling up to him.

"I'm glad I made the journey with you," Damon said as he kissed the top of her head.

"I'm glad I made the journey to you," Bonnie said as she leaned up and captured Damon's lips in a passionate, unbridled kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> **THIS FANFICTION IS UNBETA'D BUT PROOFREAD. ALL REMAINING MISTAKES ARE UNINTENTIONAL. APOLOGIES FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE.**


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